Engineering Law Seminar
DISCLAIMER
Before purchasing, review the rules of your licensing or certifying entity. It is your responsibility to confirm this course meets your CE requirements. See the credit tab on the course page for details.
What’s Included: Full webinar recording, written course materials, expert instruction, a mandatory quiz, and a certificate upon completion.
Deliverability Timeline: All courses are generally available within 1-2 weeks after the live presentation.
CE Credits: AIA and/or LA/CES accreditation is available by request for courses recorded prior to March 11, 2026. All courses after that date include those accreditations by default, if applicable. With these accreditations, our courses qualify for credit in nearly all states for engineers, surveyors, architects, and landscape architects.
Learn more about the on-demand format in our FAQ or contact us at (715) 835-5900 or customerservice@halfmoonseminars.org
Agenda
Registration: 8:00 – 8:30 am
Morning Session: 8:30 am – 12:15 pm
Lunch (On your own): 12:15 – 1:15 pm
Afternoon Session: 1:15 – 5:30 pm
Intellectual Property – The Intersection of Technology, Business, and Strategy
S. Saunders
Securing ownership of your designs through patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets (focus on patents)
How to identify innovation and capitalize on resulting intellectual property
Why protect your IP?
• Investor, competitor, and acquiring company perspectives on IP portfolios
Enforcing your intellectual property rights-is someone infringing your IP?
Freedom to operate- can you sell your product?
Professional Liability Law
K. Rubinstein
Reviewing the grounds for professional liability claims
Identifying who can bring a claim
Examining common sources of professional liability claims
Reviewing defenses to liability claims
Determining damages
Participating in dispute resolution: arbitration, mediation, litigation
Obtaining Insurance coverage for professional liability claims
Engineering Business Law
B. Newberry, M. Coghlan
Understanding forms of business organizations
• Corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies, sole proprietorships
Complying with regulations governing design firms
Understanding tax issues for business organizations
Understanding employment law issues
Engineers Professional and General Liability Insurance
J. O’Neill
Understanding important insurance concepts and issues
Professional liability insurance policy provisions
General liability insurance vs. professional liability insurance
Certificates of insurance and additional insureds
Indemnity provisions
Exclusions for contractual and warranty liability
Recognizing and responding to claims
Reservations, disclaimers, and coverage actions
Contract Law Primer for Engineers
S. Martin
Reviewing the necessary elements of any contract
Understanding contract “legalese”
• Determining performance
• What constitutes a breach of contract?
• What are damages and remedies?
• Liability-shifting contract provisions: warranties, guarantees and indemnities
Making changes to contracts
Developments in Federal and Massachusetts Environmental Law
R. Lacey
EPA NPDES Permits relevant to construction:
Construction General Permit (Stormwater)
Dewatering General Permit
Remediation General Permit
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection stormwater requirements for wetlands permitting
Municipal stormwater regulation
Enforcement priorities
Credits
Continuing Education Credit Information
This seminar is open to the public and offers 7.5 hours of continuing education to Massachusetts professional engineers. Continuing education is not mandatory for engineers licensed in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts engineers with continuing education requirements in other states will be able to apply the hours earned at this seminar, in most cases. Refer to specific state rules to determine continuing education eligibility. Due to Massachusetts-specific content in this program, this course is not eligible for continuing education credit for engineers licensed in New York.
Attendance will be monitored, and attendance certificates will be available after the seminar for most individuals who complete the entire event. Attendance certificates not available at the seminar will be mailed to participants within fifteen business days.
Speakers
Michael Coghlan
Donovan/Hatem LLPAssociate at Donovan/Hatem LLP in Boston, MAMr. Coghlan focuses his practice on professional liability, business litigation, construction litigation, insurance defense and coverage. In addition, he assists in complex civil litigation, employment law issues and other forms of business litigation
Rebekah Lacey
Miyares and Harrington LLPMiyares and Harrington LLP in Wellesley, MAMs. Lacey represents public and private sector clients on a wide range of local, state and federal environmental and land use law issues, with a particular concentration in wetlands and water resources. She advises both regulated entities and regulators; represents clients in permit appeals, enforcement proceedings, and litigation; prepares comments on proposed permits and regulations; and assists municipalities in drafting bylaws and regulations. Ms. Lacey has litigated in Massachusetts trial and appeals courts and in federal court, as well as in administrative proceedings before the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Public Utilities.
Brian C. Newberry
Partner at Donovan Hatem LLP
Mr. Newberry has represented a range of clients, large and small, in state and federal courts as well as in various alternative dispute resolution mediums. He concentrates his practice in cases involving shareholder disputes, business and tax litigation, architect and engineer liability, accounting and legal malpractice, insurance defense and class action suits. Admitted to practice in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, as well as on occasion pro hac vice in New Hampshire and Delaware, he has tried numerous cases in multiple states and a variety of forums. Mr. Newberry has argued multiple appeals before the Supreme Courts of Rhode Island and Delaware, the Appeals Court of Massachusetts and the First Circuit Court of Appeals.
John O'Neill
Sugarman, Rogers, Barshak & Cohen, P.C.Partner at Sugarman, Rogers, Barshak & Cohen, P.C. in Boston, MAMr. O’Neill is a partner in the firm who focuses his practice on business litigation, insurance coverage disputes and professional liability litigation. He represents individuals and businesses in a wide range of commercial disputes, including claims for breach of contract, commercial fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and violation of consumer protection statutes. He has also defended clients in connection with class action lawsuits. Mr. O’Neill has extensive experience representing insurers and policyholders in complex insurance coverage disputes. He advises and represents clients on a wide variety of coverage issues arising under professional liability, directors and officers liability, general liability, aviation, and property insurance policies. He also advises and represents clients in connection with claims for bad faith and extra-contractual liability.
Kenneth Rubinstein
Preti FlahertyDirector at Preti Flaherty in Boston, MAMr. Rubinstein practices as a director in the firm’s Boston, Massachusetts, and Concord, New Hampshire, offices and is co-chair of the firm’s Construction Law group, and he is a member of the firm’s Litigation and Professional Liability groups. He regularly represents public and private clients, as well as insurance companies and their insureds, in complex commercial disputes, with an emphasis on matters involving construction issues and financial professionals.
Steven Saunders
Sunstein Kann Murphy & TimbersPartner at Sunstein Kann Murphy & Timbers in Boston, MAMr. Saunders is a partner at Sunstein and is vice chair of the Patent Practice Group. He focuses his practice in patent preparation and prosecution, product clearance, portfolio development and evaluation, intellectual property litigation, interpartes review, reexamination, and licensing. He also conducts extensive intellectual property due diligence analyses prior to mergers, acquisitions, or venture capital or angel investments. He also is an angel investor and active participant in the angel investor community.